Astana Opera to present Coppélia in Oman
Astana Opera is going on tour: on December 4 and 5, the company will be taking the stage at Royal Opera House Muscat. At Oman’s premier music venue, the artists will present Léo Delibes’ Coppélia – one of the wittiest and sunniest ballets. Maestro Ruslan Baimurzin will be conducting the performances, Kazinform News Agency cites Astana Opera.
This ballet, created by French choreographic genius Roland Petit, is full of irony. He masterfully reimagined Hoffmann’s mystical story, turning it into an effervescent comedy.
“We are delighted to return to Oman, where in 2017 the company presented Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to great acclaim. The audience was very warm and welcoming to us, and memories of that tour still live on in the dancers’ hearts,” Altynai Asylmuratova, artistic director of the ballet company, People’s Artist of Russia, noted. “This time, we decided to bring Roland Petit’s Coppélia – a production with a completely different tone, as we want to give Omani viewers joy and lightness of this famous story. We will present the ballet in two casts: some dancers are more lyrical and tender, while others are more spirited and playful. This is precisely the beauty of Coppélia: each performer brings their own personality and energy to the portrayal. I think the audience will be delighted to experience this difference,” Altynai Asylmuratova concluded.
The ballet was added to Astana Opera’s repertoire in 2019 and has since become a favourite among the company. This spring, the production was enthusiastically received in Saint Petersburg, where critics praised impeccable work of the corps de ballet and the soloists’ virtuosity.
The company is traveling to Muscat with an impressive cast: 55 ballet dancers, orchestra musicians, technical crew, and sets and costumes, which are already en route. For Oman, this will be a rare opportunity to experience Roland Petit’s unique choreography performed by Kazakh dancers. On December 4, Honoured Workers of Kazakhstan Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, Aigerim Beketayeva, and Rustem Seitbekov will take the stage. On December 5, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Yerkin Rakhmatullayev, Olzhas Tarlanov, and Shugyla Adepkhan will perform the main parts.
It is worth noting that the tour is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan. “Every tour is a great responsibility for us,” shared the opera house’s general director Alexandr Sovostyanov. “We strive to demonstrate that Kazakh ballet is at the highest level today. Roland Petit’s Coppélia is a work in which dancers can fully express themselves, in both dance technique and acting. I believe the Omani audience will feel joy and vibrant energy of the performance,” Alexandr Sovostyanov concluded.
No note, Giuseppe Verdi’s bold drama Rigoletto will be performed at Astana Opera for the first time: the production staged by Arnaud Bernard and conducted by Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan, Astana Opera’s principal conductor Alan Buribayev will premiere on October 3, 4 and 5.